A letter to 18 year old me.

Updated: Jul 31, 2019

18 ---> 28

Dear 18 year-old me,

Life is tough.I would love to give you all the cheat codes to make this reality false, but even I haven't figured them all out yet. & quite frankly they don't always work. I won't lie to you nor will I "sugar coat" things. You'll soon find out there are far too many people already doing that.

Here are 15 things I've learned that either no one told me, or hard-headed me refused to listen to:

The friends you have now won't always remain, but I beg you to cherish the ones that do.

There will be times when you'll feel alone in a room full of people. It's them, not you.

When romantic relationships end, LET THEM END.

Don't let anyone tell YOU who YOU are. People's opinions of you are useless. You determine who you are.

Say No and mean it, the first time.

Do things that make you happy, and only the things that make YOU happy.

Listen to your mom parents but understand their life is not yours & your life is not theirs.

Own up to your mistakes.

Some days you'll feel as though you've failed. Even when it feels like no one is rooting for you, keep going. Do it for you.

Be the friend you wish to have.

There will be times you feel lost or behind. Remember life is a marathon. Run your own race.